In my recent experimentation in cooking with other grains and baking with other flours besides the standard wheat, I have discovered coconut flour. Nowadays you can find coconut flour in most grocery stores as well as in your local health food store. I have only used it once before in a gluten-free scone recipe, which turned out deliciously crispy -almost like a Scottish shortbread but with an added hint of coconut in the flavor.

Just this afternoon, I was about to transfer the rest of this flour into a glass jar for storage when I noticed that there was a brownie recipe on the back of the packaging. Never one to walk away from yet another opportunity to enjoy some chocolate, I whipped up a batch and was very satisfied with the results. Although the coconut flavor is barely discernible (over-powered by the chocolate), the brownie itself has a lovely consistency and is thick and fudge-y. If you’re getting off the wheat or just looking for a fun way to bake with a new ingredient, I highly recommend trying this recipe!

Wheat Free Brownies

1/3 cup butter (or non-dairy alternative)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

6 eggs (or equivalent)

1 cup sugar (I use raw cane sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup organic coconut flour, sifted

1 cup chocolate chips (use the highest quality you can find)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). In a medium saucepan over low heat, blend butter and cocoa powder. Remove from heat and let cool. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Blend this into the cocoa mixture. Stir in the coconut flour until the batter is no longer lumpy. Add the chocolate chips if desired. (I also added 1/2 cup pecans.) Bake in a pre-greased 8×8 baking pan for about 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!